A poisonous bite
by Marteczka
Summary: 150 years ago Damon Salvatore swore to his brother to make his life a living hell. But can an old flame thwart his plans?
1. Chapter 1

**Based on: **The Vampire Diaries

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters that appear in the show. Also, the main plot and some dialogs and descriptions are based on the series, which script I did not write.

**Notification:** In this story I wanted to embed some songs that were just begging to be used in certain scenes. I always give the title and the performer, and then I tell you what happens in certain moments of the songs, so you can play it in your head like a music video or a TV clip ;)

Enjoy!

**Chapter 1**

Everybody has a story.

Birth, childhood, first love, college, a long life full of laughter, love, tears and pain. A sudden death and an empty chair by the dinner table.

But my story is different.

Because after my death I was reborn.

In blood.

***

"**Supermassive Black Hole" by Muse**

**00:01 **She was walking confidently through the crowd, cutting it in a perfect straight line. She was in no hurry to see her maker, so she made sure she moved as seductively as she could, while heading towards him. Stefan was as good looking as she remembered him, tall, well build and dark blond with blue eyes; her father, her maker.

"Is that your child?" a tall and elegant woman standing by his side asked him, looking at her.

He didn't answer but smiled faintly.

"Good choice" the woman applauded him and kept her pale face expressionless.

**00:48 **She felt somebody's hatred and hostility towards her and when she looked to her right, a blonde girl was looking at her jealously but she suddenly took a step back and her face was not so secure any more. Valerie chuckled; she knew that her darkening and changing eyes of a vampire were intimidating.

**1:20 **She could feel everybody's gazes burning all over her body and a smile of satisfaction appeared on her petty face.

**1:36 **A young man to her left looked at her nastily and in a split of a second his eyes were covered with a dark web and his sharp teeth were sinking into the neck of the mortal woman he was holding.

**2:24 **She looked away with disgust. Stefan needed her and the only way he could summon her was through the council, which nest was in this repulsive place filled with bloodthirsty vampires that chose not to fight their addiction, as she called it. She was wondering, what was so important that made him come to this revolting place?

***

They were back in Mystic Falls.

Again.

She never thought she would be back here and yet, there she was, lying in her old room, in her old bed. She always thought that she could make herself forget where she came from and how she came to this life but apparently her past was catching up with her.

"We're back" she pointed out when Stefan appeared in her doorway "and something's telling me I'm here not just to revive some memories from old times" she put emphasis on the word _old_.

"No, you're here for a specific reason but I can't tell you anything tonight. I'm gonna know more tomorrow. Meanwhile, we can stay here, I've already talked to Zack" Zack was his great great great great great great nephew, a mortal and the face of the Salvatore family for the world, taking care of all of its assets.

"Well, that's familiar" she thought "Stefan being mysterious and hiding behind countless secrets of his"

Surely, she could wait another 24 hours.

***

She couldn't. She followed him early in the morning and was extremely surprised when she saw him entering the town high school.

What was a 150-year-old vampire doing at school for 7 hours straight?

Did Stefan decide that he needed to educate himself after such a long break? And if yes, why did he need her?

And that's when she saw them from the distance. A petite brunette with long hair was walking across the yard, without seeing Stefan following her. Valerie couldn't see her face but she could feel the powerful sadness radiating from her.

Stefan stopped by the entrance to the cemetery as if he didn't want to interrupt the girl during her meditation, and it was only when he spotted her running down the slope he decided to reveal his presence.

Valerie felt the familiar chill running down her spine. Something scared the girl to make her run like this and Valerie was sure she could feel somebody looming in the fog but she couldn't pin point who it was.

Now she was standing far away from them talking but close enough to take a look of the girl's face.

And she froze.

It was Katherine.

***

She had been battling with her thoughts for a couple of hours already.

This was not possible.

Katherine was dead and there was no way that the girl at the cemetery was her.

But the resemblance was striking.

What was Stefan getting both of them into?

She heard the heavy front door closing and Stefan walked into the living room.

They looked at each other expectantly.

"I've met a girl" he started and hesitated to see her reaction.

"I know" she looked up at him "I saw you two at the cemetery"

She knew he would never get mad at her for that.

"So that's why we're here? You summoned me from across the world for a girl?"

"She's not just a girl. Her name is Elena. Besides, I don't need your help as your maker but as your friend, you know this"

She nodded, she did know this. Some masters were ruthless with their children but with her, Stefan was always trying to be her best friend, just as they used to be before their lives were taken away from them.

"She looks like Katherine" she stated sourly.

"That's why I need your help" he said calmly "I need to find out what it is about her that makes her special. And I need you to protect her"

"I can do that" she looked at him "You're aiming high, Stefan. But after all you're a Salvatore. You always get what you want. Just don't fall in love with her. Again"

"I know I shouldn't have come home" he whispered this time and leaned his muscular back on the doorframe "I know the risk. But I had no choice" he took a deep breath "I have to know her. But I lost control today. I saw her blood and I could feel my eyes changing. Everything I kept buried inside came rushing to the surface. I'm simply not able to resist her"

"Stefan, whoever or whatever she is, she's not Katherine. Just keep that in mind"

He smiled faintly.

"I will"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"So you're taking her out. How sweet" Valerie was in Stefan's room trying to entertain herself while he was getting ready to go out.

"Technically, I'm not taking her out" against all believes and superstitions vampires did have a reflection in the mirror and right now Stefan west the best example of it "She lost her diary and when I went to give it back to her she told me about this back to school party. I'm not even sure if she's not going to be there"

Valerie put her foot on the table and started to swing in the chair.

"Technically, you're talking rubbish; and in practice, the only reason you're going there is to taste her, admit it"

Stefan turned around and gave her a look full of concern and… pity.

"I would never hurt her and I'm going to make sure she's save from anybody else" an excruciating pain appeared on his face "I've been trying to teach you that for the last 150 years" he whispered the last words.

"You know I haven't touched a human for the last 20 years" she stopped swinging and took her foot off the table "I'm not as strong as you, Stefan. I've made some terrible choices in the past and I have to live with their consequences" she sighed and walked to the window half covered with heavy curtains, which were adorned with a golden thread. It let in some light into the old room and painted fantastic patterns on the wooden floor "I've learned my lesson. But I'm highly captivated with your fascination with her and I'm sure there's more to it that you're not telling me"

He was about to say something when the door to his room opened and Zach stormed in.

"You promised" he was evidently furious when he tossed the newspaper towards them. There was a picture of a young couple on the front cover.

"This was an animal attack, it says they were mutilated by some kind of bear" Valerie leaned on Stefan's desk covered with old books and scrolls.

"Don't give me that" Zach shook his head "I know the game, you turn up and they always suspect an animal attack, you said you had it under control!" he spat it out like a cobra spitting out its poison.

"I do" Stefan said confidently and frowned.

"Please, uncle Stefan" she heard a plea in his voice "Mystic Falls is a different place now, it's been quiet for years; but there are people, who still remember. And you being here is just gonna stir things up"

Valerie just kept listening to them.

"It's not my intention" Stefan said assertively.

"Then what is? Why did you come back, after all this time, why now?"

Good point, she thought.

"I don't have to explain myself" Stefan was getting irritated.

"I know" Zach hesitated "that you can't change what you are. But you don't belong here anymore and I can't tell you what to do. But coming back here was a mistake" he turned around and left without looking at the two of them.

"**The Background" by Third Eye Blind**

**00:01 **"He's got the point, you know" Valerie spoke once the door closed "But we're here and whether we want it or not we need to finish what we started" she reached for the book that was lying on the top of the pile. It had an old leather covering and when she opened it, she found a black and white picture on the first page. It was a portrait of a beautiful young woman. She was wearing a stunning period lace dress and her long dark curls framed her young face.

Elena's face.

Underneath the picture, the note said "Katherine, 1864".

"We have to finish it for Elena's sake" she closed the book with a loud and walked towards the door "I'm gonna be ready in 5 minutes, you can wait in the car"

"You're going with me? To a high school party?" Stefan was highly amused by that.

"Well, you're going and out of two of us, I am the younger one that needs some fun. Anyway, I could use a good party. And you can introduce me as your cousin"

"Are you sure? It's a teenage party. Somebody starts a fight and there's going to be blood. Are you ready for this?"

His concern made her feel once again as his daughter.

"I'm gonna be alright" she smiled and went to her room.

***

**01:32** When they got to the party everybody was already having fun. There was a bonfire in the middle of the clearing and they could hear music coming from somewhere.

"You're gonna be alright?" Stefan asked her but she could tell his mind was already set at Elena.

"I'll be fine. Go, get the girl. I'm gonna get a drink and some guy to keep me entertained for a while"

**01:55 music fades away**

She didn't have to tell him twice and once he was gone, she scanned the crowd. She looked at all the young faces around her and was surprised when she recognized a few. Once, she knew their ancestors and her memory could go back as far as the Civil War. But Mystic Falls has changed since then and just as every time she came back, she suddenly felt the burden of years. Everything around her was constantly progressing, developing and moving forward.

Everything except for her.

She could see Stefan talking to Elena on the wooden bridge over the river oblivious to all the attention they were attracting.

On her right she noticed a teenage boy walking into the forest and what caught Valerie's interest was the way Elena left Stefan's side and followed the guy into the darkness.

That must have been the brother.

She's heard Elena Gilbert's story from Zach. Last spring her parents died in a car accident. Their car fell off the bridge into the water and in some miraculous way she and her brother Jeremy survived and were found on the banks of the river.

Valerie felt a deep sympathy for the girl. She knew what it meant to see the loved ones dying and she thought that Elena was doing a remarkable job at trying to move on.

Apparently Jeremy wasn't.

Suddenly there was a stir between the trees.

"Somebody help!" she heard Elena shouting and that's when she noticed her brother carrying a girl in his arms.

She wasn't moving.

"She's lost a lot of blood, her throat is torn open, somebody call an ambulance!"

People gathered around them and Valerie couldn't saw what was going on so she took a few steps closer.

"Vickie! Vick!" she heard Jeremy and Elena shouting and all of a sudden everything went still.

"**Eyes on Fire" by Blue Foundation**

**00:01** And for the first time in 20 years Valerie was in paradise.

The smell was unbelievably strong and it penetrated her flesh straight to the bone. Every cell in her body woke up as if after a very long dream and started to yearn.

For human blood.

Her breath slowed down and her senses sharpened. She could smell the grass crushed under her feet, thousands of leaves humming in the air and burned wood in the fire. She could smell the clouds passing by and the moon shining high above them.

She stumbled and took a few steps back but it didn't help. The scent was everywhere and when she looked around she could see people around her. And she could hear their heartbeats.

Every one of them had their necks exposed and she could see the faint pulse on their throats, she could almost taste that sweetness in her mouth…

"No" she whispered and turned around just in time to hide her changing eyes, which started to cover with a thin black thread.

She could barely control where she was going but once she reached the nearest tree, she staggered and fell to the ground, leaning her back on the warm bark.

She had to snap out of it. She started to breathe deeply but that didn't help since the wind was bringing the scent only closer to her.

She couldn't control it anymore and she was just about to get up when she felt a set of strong hands around her picking her up and she heard Stefan's voice.

"It's alright, Val, I'm here"

She closed her eyes and dug her nails into his arm.

She was saved.

And so were the people around.


	3. Chapter 3

Notice: Yes, guys, I know I am using the same song again but it just seemed to be perfect for the scene, hope it's ok with y'all ;)

**Chapter 3**

He took her away from all the uproar deep into the woods and now they were sitting on a wormy tree trunk covered with thick moss, facing each other. It took her a while to pull herself together but even now Stephan was holding her arm as he knew she could still feel a faint craving in the pit of her stomach and a fading thirst in the back of her throat.

Valerie noticed that the nail marks on his arm were already gone and there wasn't even a scratch.

"Thank you for coming for me" she nervously nibbled her lower lip "I was dangerously close to losing it. I couldn't control myself and I felt as if something was out of my reach. And then…" she hesitated but didn't let her emotions take over her "It would have been over for me. 20 years of a diet gone to waste"

Stephan smiled at her but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Stephan, I know I wasn't ready" she was being serious now "and I fully understand how irresponsible and careless I was. But I'm going to work on it, I promise" She was. She knew she was.

***

Zach was waiting for them in the living rom.

"What's going on?" he asked worried when he saw Stephan's face.

"Someone else was attacked and Zach, it wasn't me" he was evidently tense and upset.

"Wait, I didn't see any wild bears running around; so if it wasn't you and it wasn't me, then who was it?" Valerie looked at both of them.

"That's what worries me" Stephan said over his shoulder and disappeared on the stairs.

She had a bad feeling about this.

***

"**I know what you are" by Carter Burwell (Twilight OST)**

**00:01 **She gently pressed the door handle and let the door swing full open with an eerie squeak.

There was nothing wrong with the room, it looked just as usual; books neatly stacked on the bookcase, her clothes folded on the armchair, her four poster bed covered with silk cushions. The smell of dust blended with the aroma of wood and her perfumes filled the air. But she could feel it again.

The fleeting presence that she had felt earlier at the cemetery.

She looked to her right and noticed that the terrace glass door was widely open and the muslin curtain was softly dancing with the wind.

She took a step forward and the floor squealed under her feet.

**00:35** A black crow flew into the room through the open door and sat on one of the beams under the ceiling. It was looking straight at her with its black bead-like eyes.

**0:46 **That's when a single gust of wind brought to her a very characteristic aroma.

One that she had been dreading for the last sixty five years.

One that she didn't want to ever smell again.

**01:10 **And that's when she finally realized who was behind all this.

Her whole body tensed and before she looked back she knew who was standing in the doorway.

She slowly turned around and there he was, standing on the other side of the room and looking straight at her.

"Damon" she put all her will into stopping her voice from shaking but she knew he could feel her dread through the bond between them.

So there he was; handsome, tall, dark, with an evil smirk on his face and ready to strike like a predator lurking around his victim.

"Hello, Valeria"

**01:32 music fades away**

***

His smooth seductive voice that sent a shrill all over her body and she couldn't do anything about it. An evil smirk o his face put her body on fire.

"It's Valerie now" she finally took control of her voice.

"I don't see any difference" he slowly walked into the room but that didn't intimidate her this time.

"It's different enough. That woman is long dead. But you already know this; you made sure of that" some distant memories started to flood her mind but she did not let him notice how much his presence disturbed her.

He slowly walked to the desk between them.

"So it's true" he looked at her wryly "the vampire apprentice is on her mission".

"Crow's a bit much, don't you think?" she asked frigidly.

"Wait till you can see what I can do with the fog" now he was looking through some books on the table nearby.

"What are you doing here?" she watched him suspiciously.

"I couldn't miss Stefan's first day at school, could I?" he walked up to the bookcase and leaned on it.

"You look different, I like it" his blue eyes were piercing her throughout.

"It's been a long time, Damon. Why are you here?" Damon being in town could mean only one thing.

Trouble.

"You hate small towns, they're boring, there's nothing for you to do" she still remembered his habits and routines.

How pathetic, she thought.

"I'll manage to keep myself busy" now he was sitting in her leather chair and rocking from side to side.

"You let this girl alive in the open today, very clumsy of you"

"Oh yeah, I saw you there. It looked like you were in some kind of trouble. That could be a problem. For you" he saw her suffering in the forest and he enjoyed every second of it.

"Damon, why are you here?" he was still not answering her question.

"I could ask you the same thing" he smiled at her evilly "However, I'm pretty certain your answer is gonna be one little word. Elena"

A cold chill flooded her heart.

"She took my breath away, Elena. She's a dead ringer for Katherine" she saw in his eyes that whatever his plan was, nothing good was coming out of it.

Especially when it involved his beloved Katherine, she thought bitterly.

"She's not Katherine" she said slowly as if testing how far she could go before he turned against her "Leave her alone"

"Oh, Val, she is the reason I'm here. You see, I once made a promise to your dear Stefan to make a hell out of his life; so actually the only reason I'm here is to keep my promise" he took a closer look at her "By the way, when was the last time you had something else than a squirrel"

"I know what you're doing, Damon, but it's not going to work. Not this time"

She was fully aware that he was much stronger than her not only because of his rich human diet but also because of the way he was changed into one of them.

Suddenly he was by her, pinning her to the wall.

"You need to remember that I am more powerful than you, little Valeria. You two lost this battle when you stopped feeding on people" his lips lingered inched apart from her "So if I were you, I wouldn't try to get rid of me because it's gonna end ugly for you" she knew that he could snap her as easily as a twig "And I would suggest you hold on to this necklace of yours" he looked at her neckline where she was wearing one of the ancient medallions protecting her from the sun, an identical one was on his finger "We wouldn't want you to get a sunburn, do we?"

And with these words he disappeared with the incredible vampire speed into the darkness.

She couldn't move for a minute and when she finally did, she walked to the glass door and shut it with such a force that the glass almost rattled in the frame.

She was didn't think her task of protecting Elena would be so easy any more.

***

"**The Background" by Third Eye Blind**

**00:01** It was after 2 in the morning when Stefan got home and he was surprised when he found her sitting in the old armchair by the fireplace with a glass of red wine in her hand.

At least he hoped it was wine.

**00:23** He didn't want to disturb her so he was about to walk away when she stopped him.

**00:37** "How's Elena" she asked without looking at him.

"She's alright" he leaned on the wooden doorframe adorned with the Salvatore family crest "She's a little shook up with what happened to Vicky but she's gonna be alright"

"That's good"

From her reaction he assumed she wanted to be left alone so he started towards the stairs.

"By the way, your brother is in town"

From his reaction she assumed he had known about it long before her.

"You noticed" from the tone of his voice she could tell he was ashamed as they never kept secrets from each other.

"Well, it's hard not to when you face him" now she got up and gave him a wounded look "That's why you need me here, isn't it? You didn't summon me just because you need protection for Elena. You want me here because you think I will be able to protect her from him" she whispered the last words "Stefan, for Damon there are no limits, you know that" she paused for a moment "Besides, I'm just a girl from his past and she's the great love of his life. And if she's involved in any way, he's gonna do everything to bring her back"

He nodded slowly.

He could only hope she was wrong.

**01:24 **"And Stefan" she called after him "Keep him away from me"

**01:32 zooming to her expressionless stone face in the shadow covered with a red glow from the fire**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The forest looked unnaturally dark and spooky. A thick fog was hugging the trees and Valerie thought that she would have been scared.

If she wasn't the predator.

She was surprised to hear some human voices in the distance. No people in their right senses would have come to the Mystic Fall forest after midnight; not with all the local legends and stories about the mystical meaning of this place and its dangerous and mysterious tales.

Funny how the humans didn't know how close to the truth they were, she thought.

And she heard it again but this time it wasn't a muffled voice.

It was a piercing scream that brought only one thing to mind.

Death.

A girl was running through the forest and Valerie could tell that she was terrified.

Something was chasing her.

But when she came to think of it she instantly knew it wasn't something, it was someone.

Now she could feel his presence more clearly as ever, possibly as the lack of crowds of mortals let her senses sharpen.

"**R-Evolve" by 30 Seconds to Mars**

**00:01 **The girl finally reached the car, dropped the flashlight and started to pull on the handle but the doors didn't give in and because of her struggle Valerie could tell her pulse quickened and her blood was flowing through her veins unrestrained.

She also felt Damon stopping; he must have been observing the girl.

Or he realized that she was out there.

**00:21 **"It always intrigued me how each time you knew where to find me and what I was up to"

She flinched when she heard his voice right behind her and when she turned around his face was less than 3 inches from hers. She gasped startled and took a step back only to find a thick branch on her way but it was too late and she staggered and lost her balance ready to take a fall that never came.

**00:49 **Because suddenly she found herself locked in between his two stretched arms that felt like steel on her skin.

He put her firmly on the ground but didn't let her go right away.

**01:03 **Their gazes locked for a moment and for a split of a second she thought she saw something in his eyes that she hadn't seen for 150 years.

But then it was gone or maybe it was just the moonlight playing tricks on her.

**01:10 **"I'm alright" she said sharply shrugging off his grasp and made sure they were standing a few feet apart.

"You need to stop hunting locally; people are going to suspect something since no one's seen a single bear around" she was pretty sure they were safe for a while but one day they would run out of luck.

"Well, I'm too lazy to go too far away" he smiled mischievously "Besides, I haven't tasted all the local virgins yet, imagine what they taste like"

**01:39 **"You're a one sick bastard" she cringed in disgust and was about to walk away when…

**01:45 …** he grabbed her and said something he knew would get her attention.

"You didn't mind it last time we were hunting together"

He was fully aware that she regretted every single day spent with him but he wasn't going to let it go.

That was one of the things he knew would bind her to him forever.

"I would even say you enjoyed it" he felt her slightly trembling and excitement ripped through his body.

She pulled her hand free.

"I'm a different person now because unlike you, Stefan gave me a choice and a chance for a normal life" she knew she didn't deserve it and she never understood why her maker decided to help her once again.

"Normal life?" he snorted "Feeding on animals and running away from humans? Is that really what you call a normal life?" he took a step closer…

**02:14 …**and made her lean on the tree, she could feel his breath on her neck "The only normal life you ever had was seventy years ago" he looked at her provocatively and his lips hovered dangerously close to hers "With me"

She held her gaze and didn't let it bow under his.

"Seventy years ago was a mistake that I'm never going to repeat"

**02:44 **And without so much as looking at him, she walked away.

**02:50 Music fades away**

***

"Good morning, Val" she heard from somewhere in the room and she could hear Stefan opening the blinds. A bright sunshine filled the room, which made her squint her eyes cover her head.

"Go away" she moaned but he was unmoved to her pleas and open the windows.

"It's a beautiful day, you can't spend it in bed" he was standing by the glass door and moving the curtains aside.

"Yes I can" she groaned "I need sleep"

"Well, no wonder you're tired since you were roaming around half of the night" he was half smiling, visibly in a good mood.

"I'm surprised you don't need any after roaming around with Elena" she gave up and sit straight on her bed yawning "You look different" she noticed "I sense a change. What happened to you? Is that a smile?"

He grinned shyly.

"I don't know, today is different. I feel like I'm finally… awake" Stefan was looking at her and she could tell something changed about him, as if the sun finally came behind the clouds after a long cold winter "For the first time in a long time I feel completely and undeniably wide awake" he sat comfortably by her desk "For once, I don't regret that a new day begins. I welcome the day. Because I know I will see her again" when he mentioned Elena his eyes actually shimmered "For the first time in a long time I feel good"

She was listening to him, not daring to move.

"Wow" she finally sighed "I never knew you were that poetic" she wrapped herself in the sheets and got up "And you look like you can walk on sunshine" she picked up a few clothes of hers "Well, not literarily" she looked at him teasingly.

It always made her happy when Stefan was happy; she didn't know if there was a special link between them but since he was her best friend his happiness was also hers.

"By the way" he sounded casually but she knew him better, she could tell he got tense "Damon got a new toy"

"Another one? Anyone we should worry about?" now she was looking for some shoes and jewellery to go with her outfit.

"Caroline"

She looked at him.

"The cheerleader blonde?" she asked surprised and that's when it dawned on her "Elena's friend"

Together with Bonnie, the three of them were inseparable.

"That's the one" he nodded.

"Be careful" she was worried, what was Damon planning now?

"You too"

***


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

As she had promised to Stefan, Valerie had been following Elena for a couple of hours now and she was getting bored out of her mind. Nothing exciting happened except for a History, which finally caught her interest with an interesting discussion comparing the American Civil War and the II World War; both of which she remembered too well. Apart from that, it was all a blurry girl blab with Bonnie and Caroline until she saw Elena walking with Matt.

"… there is no infection so she should be able to come back home tomorrow…" she heard Matt's voice from across the field and figured they were talking about Vicki.

"That's good news" Elena sounded more cheerful than the evening before.

Was it really the thought of Vicky getting better that was making her so happy or was it the prospect of seeing Stefan in the evening?

Valerie was betting it was the latter one.

"Did she say what kind of animal it was that attacked her?" the voices got slightly unclear and unstable since more people started to pour onto the grounds and it made it harder to catch them with her vampire senses.

"… not sure if I got it right…"

She was about to pass Matt's comment when he said something she did not expect.

"She said it was a vampire"

Valerie did not miss that one and if she had a beating heart, it surely would have stopped beating then.

"She woke up last night, muttered 'vampire' and passed out but I think she's still drunk…"

She didn't hear the rest of the conversation as she was already dialling up Stefan's number.

When he answered his phone she didn't wait for him to say 'hello'.

"If you see your brother, say 'thank you' to him for revealing us'.

***

"I've tried to erase her memory" Stefan called her half an hour later when she was driving home.

"You've tried?" that didn't sound good at all.

"I haven't had human blood for a while so I'm not sure how well it worked" he sounded worried just as she felt.

"Well, let's hope you're strong enough" she sighed over the phone.

"What if it didn't work?"

Typical of Stefan, always having a backup plan.

"Then I'm gonna make sure that Damon is in a serious detriment, too"

It was when she pulled up the driveway that she noticed an unfamiliar car parked on the sidewalk. And only one name crossed her mind.

"Shit" she muttered but remembered too late that Stefan was on the other side of the line.

"What's going on?" Stefan asked.

"You better come down here"

She flipped the phone closed and cautiously approached the house. She looked around but didn't see anybody outside.

That meant Elena was inside the house.

Alone with Damon.

"**All Around Me" by Flyleaf**

**00:01 **She noiselessly closed the front door behind her and walked towards the living room, where she could hear someone talking.

"You live in a beautiful house" she heard Elena and when she approached the door she totally panicked when she saw Damon standing dangerously close to the girl.

**00:06 **Without thinking she yanked the door open and leaped into the room as if she had something important to tell them.

"Damon" she said pretending to look for something in her bag and without looking at them "Something's wrong with my car. When you have a minute, could you..." she looked up and focused to use all of her acting skills not to show she interrupted them deliberately.

Not that he didn't know better.

**00:16 **"Oh, I'm sorry" she stammered and even managed to blush a little "I didn't know you had company".

"Yes, you've never been big on knocking" he looked at her coldly but she ignored him and took a closer look at the girls standing next to him.

"You must be Elena" she extended her arm and they shook hands "I'm Valerie, Stefan and Damon's... cousin" she sent a charming smile towards Damon, who was already planning his next move.

Elena looked at her uncertainly.

"We've met at the party the other day"

Well, they kindda did.

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry" Elena smiled to her and took a step towards her.

The further away from Damon, the better, Valerie thought.

"So many things happened that evening and it seems I lost my head" she sounded genuinely apologetic.

"She was your friend?" Valerie acted as if she was surprised "How is she?"

"She's still in the hospital but she's gonna be alright" Elena was standing awkwardly in between them and anybody could feel tension in the room.

"I'm glad to hear that" she put her bag on the stylish couch and leaned on it "I see you've met Damon but I'm sorry for his bad manners and poor social skills. Would you like some tea or a cup of coffee?"

She was going to do anything to physically separate Damon from the girl.

Elena was evidently going to answer when suddenly Damon cut in, more charming than ever.

But Valerie knew that evil smile all too well.

And she knew that even though not looking at her directly, Damon was observing her.

**00:55 **"I see why my brother's so smitten"

That definitely caught Elena's attention.

"It's about time. For a while I thought he'd never get over the last one"

Asshole, Valerie thought. Apparently Damon was only going to make everything harder for his brother.

"It nearly destroyed him"

"It wasn't that bad" Valerie got up hoping that Elena wouldn't catch the bait "He didn't love her that much"

"The last one?" uncertainty crossed Elena's face, whereas Damon's expressed victory hidden behind a fake sadness.

"Yeah, Katherine, his girlfriend"

At the sound of this name Valerie tensed up.

Damon must have hated his brother to do this to him.

**01:10 **"I don't think they've had the awkward exes conversation yet so let's leave it for them to discuss, shall we?" is she could kill with her facial expression, Damon would've been gone by now.

"Oops, I'm sure it's gonna come up now" Damon acted as if he was confused.

Liar.

"Well, it's not as if he was on the rebound" she looked straight at him but she noticed how Elena reacted to their little exchange; she wasn't smiling anymore and Valerie could sense uncertainty and hurt from her.

**01:47 **"Hello, Stefan" Damon said without turning his head and she could sense her maker from across the room.

It was Elena who turned around.

"Elena" he said, his face stone cold and emotionless "I didn't know you were coming over"

"I know I should've called..." she walked up to him when Damon interrupted her.

"Oh, don't be silly, you're welcome anytime; isn't she, guys?" he sent Stefan a warning look.

"Thank you, Damon, for your help" Stefan protectively extended his arm towards Elena and she took it "But we need to go now".

Valerie looked after them and silently thought to herself 'Don't look back. Don't look back'.

But Elena did.

**02:02 **"It was great meeting you, Damon"

"And you, too, Elena" he sent her a smile.

It was minutes later when Valerie felt Stefan relaxing.

"Wow, what a girl" Damon remarked when they left "There's definitely something about her. You, on the other hand look pissed"

"We had to clean up your mess" she walked pass him to pour herself a drink.

**02:49 **"That's not gonna make you human, you know" she felt him standing right behind him, the coldness of his body dulling hers "We both know that the closest you'll ever get to humanity is when you rip it open and feed on it" he whispered the last few words seductively into her ear so that she could feel a shudder going down her spine and it took all of her strong will to move away from him.

"Leave her alone, Damon. This is not a game anymore"

"Oh, on the contrary" he took the glass from her hand and took a sip from it "The whole fun is just about to begin"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"What is Damon doing here? Why did he come home?" Zach confronted them the same afternoon.

Good question, Valerie thought.

"Because I came home" Stephan answered calmly "He wants to make my life miserable, only then he's going to enjoy it" he was buttoning his shirt and getting ready for the Night of the Comet event.

Doing exactly what she was supposed to be doing, as well.

"Well, he's exposing all of us to a risk. This girl in the hospital will talk" Zach sounded more concerned than usual.

"She won't" Valerie hopped off the desk "We took care of her"

"Are you sure?" somehow Zach didn't sound convinced but she didn't blame him. They've only been a source of trouble since they came back.

"Whatever happens, we'll deal with it" she said while walking out the room.

"**Let it Rock" by Kevin Rudolf**

**00:08 **The place was packed with people. Everyone was holding a little white candle and lighting the ones of their friends. Valerie was standing on the side simply observing everyone.

How ignorant humans are. They have so much proof for the existence of other creatures on their planet and they choose not to use it.

Earlier she noticed Jeremy, Elena's brother talking to Vicky, who had apparently left the hospital. There was a noticeable white dressing on her neck.

If Jeremy likes Vicky, that complicates the situation, she thought.

In the crowd she also spotted Stephan standing by Elena. He knew that he had some explaining to do, a brother he never mentioned, an ex "accidentally" mentioned by his brother…

A propos Damon, Valerie was sure he would never miss an event like this so she was wondering why he hasn't showed up yet.

Until she heard Vicky's brother, Matt.

"Has anyone seen Vicky? I can't find her anywhere?"

She automatically looked where Jeremy was stalking to her not too long ago but both of them were gone.

Not good, she thought.

That's when she heard somewhere in the back of her mind.

A woman screaming. And a familiar cold male voice.

Not good at all.

She knew that Stephan was too preoccupied with Elena to notice her, so she dialed his number and when he answered, she only said one word.

"Damon"

**03:57**

When they finally reached the building they saw two people struggling on the edge of the roof.

And they immediately knew who they were.

In a split of a second Stephan and Valerie both bounced off the ground and landed on the roof.

"Not bad" Damon sent them an evil smile while holding Vicky in the air like a puppet.

"Let her go" Valerie said calmly but her whole body was ready to strike.

"Really? OK"

Valerie had only time to see horror in Vicky's eyes before Damon let her go…

… and caught her only to push her towards them.

The girl landed on her knees sobbing.

"Damon, right now we are all under danger, including you" Stephan whispered when Valerie kneeled down by the terrified girl.

"Relax, brother" Damon walked up to them "What attacked you the other night?" he asked the girl.

"I don't know" she said through tears "An animal"

"Are you sure about that?" he was pressing now "Think about it, think really hard"

"Damon" Valerie said warningly but Stephan stopped her, he knew that right now Damon was stronger than both of them.

"What attacked you?" Damon repeated his question and suddenly a look of recognition appeared on Vicky's face.

"Vampire" she half whispered and started to crawl away from him.

"Who did this to you?!" Damon was only starting.

"You did!" she shouted when he grabbed her by both of her arms.

"Wrong" he said and looked into her eyes.

He was about to play with her mind using his vampire powers.

"Damon" Stephan said and Valerie could hear a slight panic in his voice.

"Stephan Salvatore did this to you. He's a vampire, vicious, murderous monster" Damon didn't stop thought and made Vicky repeat after him.

"Damon, please don't do this" Valerie said desperately but he only ignored her, moved Vicky's hair away from her shoulder, brutally pulled the band aid off and pushed her into Stephan's arms.

"Your choice of lifestyle has made you weak" his voice was filled with venom "Couple of vampire parlor tricks is anything comparing to the power you can have and human blood can give you that"

Vicky was crying and whimpering, her fresh wound exposed and bleeding. Valerie could see Stephan's face changing and she was sure her vampire look kicked in as well so she slowly took a step back to lean on the wall.

It took all of Stephan's strength to let the girl fall onto the floor but that's when he bent down as if in pain.

"You have two choices" Damon was now towering over them "You can feed and make her forget; or you can let her run down the square screaming your name"

"That's what this is about?" Stephan said breathing heavily "You want to expose me?"

"No!" Damon was clearly getting annoyed "I want you to remember who you are!"

"Why?!" now that Valerie regained control over her body she was standing straight facing him.

"So that we can kill? So that he's going to remember what it's like to be brothers again?" now Damon was looking at her as if he lost some of his confidence "You know what, let her go. Let her tell everyone that vampires have returned to Mystic Falls. Let them chain us up, let them drive a stake through my heart. Because at least we'll be free of you" with every word she took another step towards him and now she was standing right in front of him.

She didn't think her words would mean anything so she was surprised when he cunningly smiled at her and turn around to face Vicky, who was lying on the floor.

"Wow" he said and helped her to get up "Come here sweetheart"

She was too exhausted to protest.

"It's ok" she looked at Valerie over the girl's shoulder and started to whisper something into her ear.

Valerie couldn't hear what it was but she noticed that Vicky relaxed and stopped crying.

"What happened?" she asked in a sleepy voice and Valerie sighed relieved "Argh, I have my stitches open" she looked disgusted at her bloodied hand "I took too many pills, man"

She got up and walked away to find a way down.

"It's good to be home" Damon looked around "I think I might stay a while. This town needs a bit of a wake-up call, don't you think?" He turned around but before he jumped from the roof he looked at Stephan over his shoulder.

"Give Elena my best"

And he was gone.

They were in the kitchen preparing some late dinner when they heard the door bell and Stephan went to get it.

"**Come away with me" by Norah Jones**

**00:01 **He hasn't been back for a while so Valerie went to check on him.

**00:18 **She couldn't hear any voices in the house so she sneaked to the front window where she saw Stephan and Elena kissing.

She smiled to herself and not wanting to interrupt them she went up to her room.

**00:24 **She was standing in front of her bathroom mirror just looking at her reflection.

It's been so many years and her face hasn't aged even a bit. There were times when she wished she would just get old for a change and part with this world after a very long journey.

But her destiny had already been set for her and growing old was not part of it.

She took her clothes off and wrapped herself with a towel when she felt his presence in the room behind.

**00:45 **"It's very difficult to scare me, you know" she turned around and saw Damon leaning on the doorframe.

"That wasn't my intention" he cocked his head, narrowed his eyes and took a closer look of her back in the mirror.

"I like the tattoo, I never thought you're that kind of girl"

She loved the rose tattoo on her back and she never regretted getting it over 20 years ago.

"You don't know many things about me" she said while passing him in the door "Do you have any?"

"No, I'm a complete coward when it comes to needles" he followed her into the room.

**01:06 **"So, why do you keep visiting me? Feeling a bit lonely?"

She knew this was the last thing he would ever admit.

"You seem to enjoy it" he said mischievously and she had a sudden urge to slap him.

"You're ridiculous" she looked at him and got herself occupied with looking for her hairbrush "By the way, leave Caroline alone. I can even smell her on you"

"Jealous, are we?" he asked both flattered and satisfied.

"Now your ridiculous AND delusional" she finally found her hairbrush and turned around to face him but he was gone.

Men, she thought.

**01:25** She grabbed some clothes, made sure that her bathroom door is locked and took a hot shower enjoying the steam.

**01:46 **Meanwhile, in his room on the other side of the mansion, Damon decided to take shower, as well and if someone was in the room when he took his shirt off, he would see a clear scar in a shape of **V** burnt in his flesh.

No, he didn't do needles or tattoos.

He had found another way.

**03:18**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"**6 Underground" by Sneaker Pimps**

**00:01 **Valerie pulled up the curb and turned the engine off.

"Thanks for the ride" Stefan smiled and opened the door.

"Wait" she unbuckled "I'm gonna go with you. After all now we can't hide my existence so let's act normal"

"Normal?" he looked at her amused "You're my age and you don't attend school. I'm afraid that's not normal"

"Oh no" she raised one of her hands in defense while locking the car "I have done my share of studying for more than a lifetime. We can say I'm one year older than you so I've already graduated but I am so curious of the local school I decided to take a walk"

"That might work" Stefan said but she noticed he was looking behind her and his face expressed a concern.

When she turned around she realized he was looking at Bonnie, Elena's best friend.

"Something's wrong?" she looked back at him "Seriously, what are you not saying?"

Now he looked suspicious.

"It's stupid" but he added after a second "I slightly touched her the other day and I felt something. Something… weird"

Valerie looked at the girl again. She didn't look suspicious to her.

"Something weird? Like what?"

Living in Mystic Falls taught her not to get surprised too easily.

"I felt some kind of power. She's not a vampire but I don't think she's fully human either" that's when Elena appeared next to Bonnie and Stefan started to walk to them.

"Could you please check it for me? Take a closer look at her family and ancestors, you might find something about them that would help" that's when Elena waved at them and smiled but they were far enough to be able to talk without anybody ears dropping.

"By the way, I'm trying out for the school football team today"

This time she looked surprised.

"The football team? Don't you think it's a little unfair? With your speed, strength and heeling abilities…"

"I'm not gonna take any advantage of that" he stopped for a moment and faced her "Val, for the first time in a very long time I have the opportunity to be a regular and ordinary teenager"

"And being part of the football team is ordinary?" she started to walk again "What about blood? You can't avoid that on the field"

"I've thought about it and I'm gonna be fine, you know I am"

She nodded but she still didn't like the idea.

**01:18** "Good morning Elena, good morning Bonnie" Stefan smiled which evidently made Bonnie uncomfortable.

"Heey" Elena gave him a peck on the lips "Bonnie, this is Valerie, Stefan's cousin; Valerie, this is Bonnie"

Valerie had an urge to extend her arm but she also had the feeling that the other girl wouldn't shake it.

"Hey, erm… I gotta find Caroline. She's not answering her phone, so…" she wanted to add something but turned around instead and walked away.

Valerie looked at Stefan and noticed that he heard it, too.

She was only hoping Damon had nothing to do with that.

"Bonnie wait" Elena was trying to stop her but it was too late.

"She doesn't like me very much" Stefan observed uneasily.

"She doesn't know you" Elena took a step closer towards him "She's my best friend, she's just looking out for me but when she does, she will love you" she hesitated "Here's what I'm gonna do. Are you free tonight?" she looked at them expectantly.

Stefan pretended to think about it.

"Yes" she said smiling charmingly.

"Dinner, my house" Elena seemed to be really excited about the idea "8 o'clock. You, me and Bonnie are going to spend some quality time and she will get to see what a great guy you are. And Valerie, you need to come, too; it's gonna be fun"

"Sure I will" she was always up for an evening out.

"Mission accomplished. I would have invited Caroline, too but I have no idea where she is. She hasn't texted me back" Elena took her phone out "I'm guessing she's with her new mystery guy"

"Mystery guy?"

Elena didn't have time to answer when they heard the sound of an engine and some loud music.

**End of the song**

"Erm…" she pointed behind them.

"**Next Contestant" by Nickelback**

**00:49** Caroline was in a vintage convertible sitting next to…

… yes, Damon Salvatore.

Why was he there every time there was any trouble?

That's when Caroline moved towards him to kiss him passionately and when she left the car Damon noticed them staring and smiled at her mischievously.

And Valerie had a very bad feeling about this.

**01:14**

She didn't know why but she didn't like her room in Zach's house. Instead, she felt comfortable sitting in Stefan's chair among his books, it didn't make her feel too lonely.

They were almost ready to leave to Elena's when Damon came into the room casually as if he had every right to do so.

"How were tryouts? Did you make the team?" from the tone of his voice they all knew he couldn't care less.

"Of course he did. He's good at some things unlike other people" Valerie looked at him meaningfully.

"What are you doing here?" Stefan asked him coldly.

Damon's face got serious and he seemed to be thinking for a minute.

"I came to apologize" he finally said "I've been doing some thinking, some…" he looked for the right word "some soul searching"

Valerie raised her brow.

From her experience Damon had no soul to start with.

"I want all of us to start over. We need to put the past behind us" he took a few steps to face her "We're almost like a family and if we wanna live a normal, happy human life, then I want that for you"

He looked her straight in the eye.

He wasn't laughing, he wasn't even smiling.

"And maybe I can do it, too. I can learn to be a normal non-living… living person. Maybe there's still hope for us"

She felt like everything around them disappeared, including Stefan.

But it was Damon's eyes that gave him away.

And the next minute he was laughing into her face.

"Asshole" she hissed.

She wasn't mad that he was making fun of her.

She was mad because for a split of a second she hoped he was serious about it.

"Oh, that reminds me, I gotta run, I have a date" he turned around by the door "Wish me luck".

And he was gone.

They were eating in Elena's dining room and trying to make a conversation, which didn't work that well. Sometimes they were nervously looking at each other hoping that someone would come up with a good chitchat idea.

"Did Tanned give you a hard time today?" Elena started.

"Well, he let me on the team so I must have done something right"

Elena sent him a bright smile.

"Bonnie, you should have seen him today. Tyler threw a ball right at him and…"

But Bonnie didn't let her finish.

"I heard"

They awkwardly looked at each other.

"Why don't you tell Valerie about your family? About the witches"

Something clicked in Valerie's mind.

Stefan had said that when he touched Bonnie, it felt weird.

Well, now they knew how.

"Bonnie's family has a lineage of witches, it's really cool" Elena let her friend know that she was not going to let her off easy that time.

"Cool isn't the word I'd use"

Elena looked at her pissed.

"Well, that's certainly interesting" Valerie tried to carry on the conversation "I'm not an expert but I do know that there is a history of Celtic druids that migrated here in the 1800's"

"My family came by way of Salem"

That explained even more.

"Really?" Stefan got interested "Salem witches? It is pretty cool"

Valerie noticed that Bonnie got more relaxed and finally smiled.

"Salem witches are heroic examples of individualism and non-conformity"

Bonnie's face brightened.

"Yeah, they are"

That was easy enough, Valerie thought.

Suddenly a doorbell rang.

"I wonder who that could be" Elena left the table and when she opened the front door Valerie could hear a woman's voice.

"Surprise"

Caroline.

"Bonnie said you were having dinner so we brought desert"

We?

Without a word Valerie and Stefan got up and walked to the door to join Elena and Caroline.

Who brought Damon with her.

"I hope you don't mind" he said nonchalantly but Valerie knew what his plan was.

To get an invitation to get inside.

Caroline walked in but Damon hesitated by the door frame.

"What are you doing here?" Valerie asked him despite the audience around.

"Waiting for Elena to invite me in" he said and the smile didn't leave his face.

"Yeah, you…" Elena started but Valerie cut in.

"No no no… He can't… ehm… He can't stay"

Everybody looked confused.

"Can you, Damon?" she looked at him.

"Get in here" Caroline laughed nervously.

"We're just finishing up" now it was Stefan's turn but he couldn't do anything about it.

"It's fine" Elena sighed "Just come on in"

Damon smiled evilly and slowly took a step forward.

And nothing stopped him from entering.

He also made sure that while passing Valerie, he walked particularly close to her.

Valerie only hoped he wasn't going to do anything stupid.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"I cannot believe that Mr Tanner let you on the team" Caroline had been chattering for a while now and from Elena's face Valerie could tell that they both agreed that interrupting made no sense "But good for you, go for it"

She was sitting right next to Damon in the armchair and sipping coffee from a red mug.

"And I know the practice was difficult for you today but that's only because you missed the summer practice and you don't know the routine. I guess I could put you somewhere in the back…"

Valerie could not believe how self-absorbed Carline was, she didn't even notice that Elena hadn't said anything to her for some time now.

"You know, you don't seem like the cheerleader type, Elena" finally Damon took control, which didn't make them feel any better.

Elena didn't say anything but smiled gently.

But Caroline was there to fill in the gap.

"Oh, that's because her parents died" she was really into it "She's just totally going through this blah phase. Before that, she was way more fun…" she stammered when she saw Bonnie's face "… and that just lacked any sensitivity"

Elena just kept looking at her and you could tell she was grateful that Stefan was right next to her.

"I'm sorry Elena, I know what it means to lose both of your parents" Damon had an apologetic face on but Valerie knew better "In fact, Stefan and I have watched every single person we cared about die"

Well duh, you're a freaking vampire! You probably even ate half of them!

"We don't have to get into that, Damon" you could hear a warning in Stefan's voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry Stefan, you know that last thing I wanna do is bring her up" he smiled evilly.

Asshole! Jerk! Valerie started to run out of words.

Elena just looked down but her hands trembled slightly.

"**Don't cry" by Guns N'Roses**

**00:01 **"Hey, anybody wants some more coffee?" Valerie felt it was her cue to get out of the room but she didn't expect Damon to follow her.

Well, he did.

**00:18** "One more" he said in this sexy way of his.

That totally didn't work on her.

Totally.

"You're becoming a coffee drinker now?" she smirked "It might do you some good to get over the blood addiction"

"Maybe it is you who should get used to it" he was leaning on the counter looking straight at her.

**01:19 **"Damon, why don't you leave them? She makes Stefan smile which I haven't seen for a very long time, they make each other happy. Why can't you just leave them to be!"

**01:48 **Suddenly the smile disappeared from his face.

**01:52 **"Because he took what mattered for me" he appeared right next to her breathing heavily.

So he did have a sore spot.

"Because he took her away from me!"

**02:11 **"No, Damon, he didn't!" she cut in "Can you not see? Katherine wanted both of you! Just one of the Salvatore brothers would never do because she would have either had both of you or none!"

**02:22 **Her last words hung in the air for a minute.

**02:50 **"And that's where you're wrong" he said bitterly and left the kitchen.

**02:53 END OF THE SONG**

She didn't want to follow him but against her better judgment she opened the door and entered the big room, where Stefan was talking to Caroline but Damon, Elena or Caroline where nowhere to be seen.

Stefan's face was unusually concerned.

"That's a really nice scarf" Valerie remarked and took a spot next to Stefan on the sofa.

"Thank you, it's new" Caroline straightened up clearly proud of herself.

"May I see it? I mean, would you mind taking it off?" Stefan's sudden wardrobe interest slightly put her off though.

"I can't" she said suspiciously.

"You OK?" Stefan asked concerned.

"Erm…" Caroline looked confused "All I know is that I can't take it off"

Great, Valerie thought. How long was Damon going to rely on his mind tricks?

"What are you kinds talking about?" Damon came into the room an sat by Caroline.

"We were just talking about Caroline's scarf"

Damon suddenly went tense.

"You know, Elena and Bonnie are doing the dishes so why don't you give them a hand" he said wanting to get rid of her.

Caroline looked at him sarcastically.

"Does it look like I do dishes?"

But apparently Damon was not up for any games.

He looked straight into Caroline's and created a link between them.

"Go and see if Elena needs some help in the kitchen" he said without blinking.

"You know what" Carline looked and Valerie and Stefan "I'm gonna go and see if Elena needs some help in the kitchen" she smiled radiantly and Damon smiled back.

"Great"

Once she was gone, Damon looked at them gravely.

"They are people, Damon. She's not a puppet "Stefan looked at his brother " She doesn't exist for your amusement, for you to feed on her whenever you want to"

Damon chuckled.

"Sure she does, they all do. They would do whatever I want them to do, they're mine for the taking" he smirked at them.

"You've had your fun" Valerie said unexpectedly "You used Caroline to get to us, good for you" she paused for a minute "Now it's time for you to go"

"That's not a problem because…" he paused for effect "… I have been invited in. And I will come back tomorrow night, and the following night and I'll do with your little cheerleader whatever I want to because that's what I do"

Valerie was sure Stefan was going to leap at his brother but he didn't but she also knew that one day he wasn't going to keep that calm.

"Vervane? Good thinking" she looked at the silver medallion in her palm. It was carved in a shape of a leaf, a beautiful and intriguing hand work "She's gonna love it"

"I need to protect her somehow from Damon, at least now he won't be able to hypnotize her or play with her mind. Besides, she's going through some rough time and she quit cheerleading"

"Did she?" Valerie asked surprised.

"She suffered a great loss, she's not the same person" he said with a weird tone of voice.

He knew exactly what he was stalking about, she thought.

Sadly, from his own experience.

"So she's looking ahead and starting over, just like you. In a football team, who would have thought"

The pep rally was crazy. It was crowded with jocks, cheerleaders and other teenagers gathered around the bonfire and listening to the coach. Valerie was standing on the side trying to blend in but also keeping an eye on Elena's brother, who was getting drunk with his friends. Unfortunately, she noticed it too late when Vicky showed up, and Tyler her boyfriend alongside, who spotted Jeremy and started to walk towards him.

And they definitely weren't going to talk.

Jeremy was the first one to throw a punch and after a second they were both fighting on the ground.

It was also too late when Valerie noticed the shattered glass lying around them.

And their blood on it.

The smell was so overpowering she could feel her face slowly changing. She looked around to find a place she could hide but all she could see was people cheering for the fight.

She started to panic when she turned around only face Damon standing right in front of her with a sneer on his face.

And that worked like a cold shower for her so far that she was able to stop the transformation.

"I told you it's in your nature"

She ignored him and took off walking away as quickly as possible. She definitely wasn't in the mood for a confrontation.

"Oh yeah, run off" he followed her "But sooner or later it's gonna catch up with you, whether you want it or not"

She noticed they just got to a dark back alley but she wasn't scared since for the last 150 years she was the predator.

"Not tonight, I'm done with you" she said calmly and was about to leave when he grabbed her hand.

But she didn't let him talk.

"You know what, you think you're so scary. But I know that deep down inside there is a part of you that feels for me. You're just trying to hide it so you pretend"

"Who's pretending?" he asked.

"So kill me" she replied shortly and this time it was she approaching him "You've had a lifetime to do it and still, here I am and you're still haunting us. But Katherine is dead! And you mourning over here is your humanity" she didn't think she could make her point any clearer.

She also wanted to add something when the metal door opened behind her and she heard the coach looking for one of the players.

"Come on, we've got a game to play!"

Damon looked at him.

"If that's my humanity, then what's this?" he asked her and moved so fast she could not stop him from what he was about to do.

In a split of a second he caught the man by his neck and bit him violently splashing the blood around.

When he finally let him go there was blood all over his face.

"Anyone. Anytime. Any place"

And he disappeared.

And that's when Valerie realized that Damon was even a bigger threat than she had thought.

And that under the face of a kitten, he was a deadly tiger ready to strike without hesitation.

"**Let it go" by Blue October**

**00:01 **He sneaked into her room late at night when he was sure she was asleep. She had carelessly left the window open and he made sure he didn't make any noise.

**00:22 **Her night light was still on casting a warm glow on her beautiful face deep in sleep.

And he realized that even after all these years she was still making him feel things he had renounced more than a century ago.

**00:34 **He reached his hand and lightly touched her cheek. She was so soft and delicate. Fragile, he would say.

He sat on the edge of her bed until dawn and made sure that when she woke up he was gone.

He couldn't let himself have weak moments like this ever again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Something disturbed her in her sleep and she woke up. She was lying with her eyes wide open when she realized that something was wrong.

She couldn't see in the darkness.

She got out of bed and slowly felt her way through her room to the door. When she opened it, the light was on in the staircase but the rest of the house was dark, cold and dead silent.

In one word, it was scary.

A thought that hasn't crossed her mind for over 150 years.

What the hell was going on?

"Hello"? she called into the emptiness but she got no reply.

But she knew someone was there. She felt it.

"Stefan?" she was trying to sound confident but her heart was beating like crazy.

She walked down the stairs and realized that the TV in the living room was on.

And her face was on the screen.

"Here are breaking news of another deadly animal attack. Another victim has been claimed. The forensics are expected to confirm that this is the same animal responsible for other attacks"

She looked at the screen again.

She was dead? And how was THAT possible?

"You know what's coming now" it was when she heard his sexy voice behind her that she realized what had happened.

She had always recognized his presence but new.

She could see in the darkness just as good as in the daylight.

And she had a heartbeat.

She didn't know how but she wasn't a walking dead any more.

She was a mortal.

And the deadly predator was behind her in the same room.

She turned around and she saw him standing in a half-shadow looking intensely at her.

And when she started to run towards the door, he was right behind it.

But her senses were not sharp anymore and it was too late, because he grabbed her tight and with his whole force he violently bit her neck.

And the minute his sharp teeth touched her warm skin she woke up.

But this time for good.

She gasped and sat on the bed looking around. It was just a dream. A stupid one, she admitted, but a very real one.

That's when she noticed Damon sitting in the corner.

"Bad dream?" he asked casually without looking at her "Do you know how easy it was to get into your head just now?"

He looked at her now and added,

"And play with it?"

Without thinking she grabbed a knife lying on her night stand and threw it at him. It hit him right under his heart but he didn't even move.

He just looked down at it and got up.

And when he took it out he looked as if he had just the most boring thing in his life.

"All right I deserved that" he smiled evilly and she could see the wound mending through the hole in his shirt "But I just wanted you to know they caught the culprit. The animal responsible for killing all those people"  
She narrowed her eyes.

"What are you talking about? Why would you cover your tracks?"

He walked around her towards the door, the amused smiled not leaving his face.

"I decided to stay a while. I'm having too much fun here with you and my brother. And Elena. The vervane was a good idea and it keeps me out of my head but maybe that's not my target" he paused for drama "Believe it or not, Val, some girls do want me stay over here. Some girls can't resist my good looks…" he started to walk towards her "… my style and my charm"

Without flinching he threw the knife and hit the table less than an inch from her hand.

And she knew that it was the exact spot he wanted to hit.

As is she didn't know how deadly and dangerous he was.

"I got close today"

Stefan was deep in thought when she was passing his room so she was surprised when she heard his voice. She turned around and stopped at his doorway.

"Close to what?"

"Turning right in front of Elena. Not being able to control myself"

"Control, control, control" she sighed and sat on his comfy chair with her legs crossed on the ancient desk.

Ouch, that sounded Damon-like, she thought.

"You're always in control, Stefan so I don't think you have to worry about that"

"This time it was different" he sounded sulky "We were kissing and I couldn't even feel it, I just saw my reflection in the mirror. I can't let it happen again and I can start with tomorrow night"

"Tonight?" she looked up from a book she picked from the floor.

"Yeah, it's the Founders' Party and I'm supposed to be her date so my good-deed meter is going to be on.

"Stefan, that's the only meter you have. But you're saying it's the Founders' Party? They still do it?"

Oh, how she had always wanted to go to the party as an actual guest.

But that was a long time ago.

Before she was born into her new life.

"Well, I guess it's a good excuse then for a hot dress" she already had one in mind "And a hot date"

Stefan smiled. Valerie had always been more of a younger sister to him than a vampire child.

"One more thing" he added "I'm pretty sure Damon told Caroline about us"

"Did he now?" nothing would surprise her anymore "I wonder how long he's going to let her live with that knowledge"

Both her and Stefan would rather not think about the answer.

She knew Zach wasn't a big fan of hers but he tolerated her in his house because of Stefan.

In the evening she was reading a book on the window seat hidden behind the old heavy curtains. She was aware of Damon sitting on the other side of the room, deep in thought but she wasn't sure if he knew about her presence. That's when Zach entered the room.

"Come one, purge. Get it out, what's on your mind?" she could hear Damon's voice after a heartbeat.

Zach clearly hesitated.

"Why are you here, Damon?"

Some paper rustled.

"To spend time with you, Zach" a book closed "Family is important"

Pshh, she thought. You cannot argue with Damon.

"I know you" Zach's voice stayed firm and steady "You always have a motive. So tell me, what is it this time?"

Now she couldn't hear much but a muffled crunch as if something hit the wall.

Crap, she thought and in a split of a second she was standing right next to Damon, who pinned Zach to the wall and was holding his throat.

"You are in no position to question me"

Zach started to choke but Valerie knew that she had no power comparing with the other vampire.

"Damon, stop! This is not helping anybody!"

But he ignored her.

"I didn't mean to upset you" Zach was barely talking having his throat crushed.

"This is not upset, Zach" Damon smiled but he didn't let it go.

"What's going on?" it was when Stefan used another doorway to enter the room when Damon finally let Zach slide down.

"Having a family meeting, Stefan. We're having some quality time" he said and patted Zach's shoulder on his way out.

"You OK?" Valerie tried to help the man to get up but he shrugged her off.

"No, I'm not! And neither are you two" he looked around "Why don't you do anything about him?"

"I want to, Zach, but I can't!" Stefan looked at him sincerely "As long as he's on human blood he's going to overpower us"

Zach looked at him and got up.

"Vervane could weaken him if he indigested it…"

"Vervane hasn't grown here since 1865" she cut in "Damon saw to that"

Zach nervously looked around again.

"What?" Stefan asked and when Zach gave them a sign to follow him, that's exactly what they did.

There was a secret doorway in the wall and a steep dark staircase behind it. Valerie had never been there before and she was surprised that underneath the ground there was a brick corridor was cells on left and right. Zach opened one of the wooden doors and let them in.

What she saw was a pot. No, a plantation of purple, lavender-like flowers with a familiar intense smell.

"You've been growing it" apparently Stefan was as surprised as she was.

"It's just something that's been passed down by generations. Damon would have killed me if he ever knew I had it"

She was sure he was right.

"But you're telling us" she said "Why?"

"Because I trust you two. And you're gonna need it if you want to get rid of him"

She could see on Stefan's face that he already had a plan.


End file.
